Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I heard more than one media person say last week that the Cleveland Indians now have the longest championship drought among the four big American major leagues. Of course, they're actually tied for that dubious honor with the Arizona Cardinals, who will re-take the mantle if they don't win the Super Bowl this year.

It prompted me to put this list together. I think it's accurate; corrections welcome. Bottom line, in the midst of Cubs-mania, there are LOTS of other title-starved fan bases out there.

(I wrestled with including the Browns on this list since the actual -- if not official -- former Browns did win a title not long after they left Cleveland. In any case, I did restrict the length of the Browns' title drought to 48 years, not the 51 since their '64 title, since there were three seasons when the Browns didn't exist.).

68 years, 69th pending: Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals
68 years: Cleveland Indians
65 years, 66th pending: Rochester Royals/Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings/Sacramento Kings
58 years, 59th pending: St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks; Detroit Lions
56 years: Washington Senators/Texas Rangers*
55 years, 56th pending: Minnesota Vikings*; Philadelphia Eagles
55 years: Houston Colt .45s/Astros*
54 years, 55th pending: Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans**
52 years, 53rd pending: San Diego Chargers**
50 years, 51st pending: Atlanta Falcons*; Buffalo Bills**
49 years, 50th pending: Toronto Maple Leafs
48 years, 49th pending: Phoenix Suns*; St. Louis Blues*; Cincinnati Bengals*; Cleveland Browns
48 years: San Diego Padres*; Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers*; Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals*
47 years, 48th pending: New York Jets
46 years, 47th pending: Buffalo Braves/San Diego Clippers/Los Angeles Clippers*; Denver Rockets/Nuggets**; Kansas City Chiefs
45 years, 46th pending: Milwaukee Bucks; Vancouver Canucks*; Buffalo Sabres*
43 years, 44th pending: New York Knicks
42 years, 43rd pending: Indiana Pacers**; Miami Dolphins
41 years, 42nd pending: New Orleans/Utah Jazz*; Washington Capitals*; Philadelphia Flyers
40 years, 41st pending: New York/Brooklyn Nets**

*Team has never won a title
**Team won a title in a defunct league (e.g. AFL, ABA)

The under 40-year list would not be that impressive:

In the NFL - Houston 13 years, 14 pending;Jacksonville and Carolina 20 years, 21 pending

MLB - Seattle, 41 years; Tampa Bay 19 years; Colorado 24 years

Not sure about NHL or NBA

I'm not sure how I feel about the Vikings place on this list.
Although they lost all their Super Bowl appearances Minnesota won the NFL Championship in 1969 to earn the right to appear in SB IV, then the NFL/AFL Championship game. Technically they, like the Colts in '68, were NFL Champions and Super Bowl losers.

It's semantically correct that the Vikings were NFL champions in 1969. But of course that distinction only meant as much then as an NFC championship means now: a trip to the season's ultimate game, which the Vikings have never won.

If the Vikings conference titles are included, then that means that the Indians have "won" four American League titles since their last WS title. That won't sell anywhere, especially in Cleveland.

What's more amazing than the Lions and the Browns not even appearing in a Super Bowl having been in existence all 50 seasons there have been Super Bowls is that they've had a combined 6 league/conference championship games in that time. THAT'S a drought.

Citizen wrote:I heard more than one media person say last week that the Cleveland Indians now have the longest championship drought among the four big American major leagues. Of course, they're actually tied for that dubious honor with the Arizona Cardinals, who will re-take the mantle if they don't win the Super Bowl this year.

It prompted me to put this list together. I think it's accurate; corrections welcome. Bottom line, in the midst of Cubs-mania, there are LOTS of other title-starved fan bases out there.

(I wrestled with including the Browns on this list since the actual -- if not official -- former Browns did win a title not long after they left Cleveland. In any case, I did restrict the length of the Browns' title drought to 48 years, not the 51 since their '64 title, since there were three seasons when the Browns didn't exist.).

68 years, 69th pending: Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals
68 years: Cleveland Indians
65 years, 66th pending: Rochester Royals/Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings/Sacramento Kings
58 years, 59th pending: St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks; Detroit Lions
56 years: Washington Senators/Texas Rangers*
55 years, 56th pending: Minnesota Vikings*; Philadelphia Eagles
55 years: Houston Colt .45s/Astros*
54 years, 55th pending: Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans**
52 years, 53rd pending: San Diego Chargers**
50 years, 51st pending: Atlanta Falcons*; Buffalo Bills**
49 years, 50th pending: Toronto Maple Leafs
48 years, 49th pending: Phoenix Suns*; St. Louis Blues*; Cincinnati Bengals*; Cleveland Browns
48 years: San Diego Padres*; Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers*; Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals*
47 years, 48th pending: New York Jets
46 years, 47th pending: Buffalo Braves/San Diego Clippers/Los Angeles Clippers*; Denver Rockets/Nuggets**; Kansas City Chiefs
45 years, 46th pending: Milwaukee Bucks; Vancouver Canucks*; Buffalo Sabres*
43 years, 44th pending: New York Knicks
42 years, 43rd pending: Indiana Pacers**; Miami Dolphins
41 years, 42nd pending: New Orleans/Utah Jazz*; Washington Capitals*; Philadelphia Flyers
40 years, 41st pending: New York/Brooklyn Nets**

*Team has never won a title
**Team won a title in a defunct league (e.g. AFL, ABA)

I don't count relocated teams in this type of discussion, the Arizona(or Phoenix) Cardinals have actually only existed since they moved in the late 80s. The Arizona fans don't care about what happened with the Cardinals in St. Louis, that was a different entity. The Detroit Lions have the longest authentic drought in the NFL.

L.C. Greenwood wrote:
I don't count relocated teams in this type of discussion, the Arizona(or Phoenix) Cardinals have actually only existed since they moved in the late 80s. The Arizona fans don't care about what happened with the Cardinals in St. Louis, that was a different entity. The Detroit Lions have the longest authentic drought in the NFL.

SO, then the Rams now have a span of 65 or so years, going to 1951?

MatthewToy wrote:What's more amazing than the Lions and the Browns not even appearing in a Super Bowl having been in existence all 50 seasons there have been Super Bowls is that they've had a combined 6 league/conference championship games in that time. THAT'S a drought.

Watching the Cubs and Indians in the World Series recently, I was thinking this is how it would be to see the Lions and Browns square off in the Super Bowl, that somebody's drought would finally end.

JohnTurney wrote:

L.C. Greenwood wrote:
I don't count relocated teams in this type of discussion, the Arizona(or Phoenix) Cardinals have actually only existed since they moved in the late 80s. The Arizona fans don't care about what happened with the Cardinals in St. Louis, that was a different entity. The Detroit Lions have the longest authentic drought in the NFL.

SO, then the Rams now have a span of 65 or so years, going to 1951?

Technically, the LA Rams haven't been World Champs since 1951. While a small number of LA Rams fans followed the St. Louis version, and enjoyed 2000, I don't think it had any real impact in Los Angeles. All of those home games were played in St. Louis, and I think there will also be a small amount of St. Louis fans who will follow the LA version. Location is such an important part of this conversation.